1730 Bulletin ^7, Unih i States National Museum. 



c. Back and belly without prickles in the adnlt; 2 rather large dermal flaps 



behind head, 1 on each side: coloration nearly uniform, the sides of 



belly with or without dark blotches. angcsticeps, 2145. 



cc. Back and belly more or less prickly; dorsal cirri smaller and further 



apart, often wanting; color not uniform, the sides with a series of 



round dark blotches ; the back green, mottled or spotted with maroon 



and sky blue. lobatus, 2146. 



66. Interorbital space flat or moderatelj- concave; no dorsal flaps; sides with a 



series of about 12 black blotches or bars bounding pale color of abdomen; 



back without curved cross streaks ; upper ray of caudal produced. 



d. Sides of head and body always smootli except sometimes a strip behind 



pectorals: spines larger, higher, more stellate, wider apart than in 



Spheroides -maeiilatut, irregularly placed and often wholly wanting; 



sides usually with small dermal slips or flaps, especially in the young ; 



black blotches on sides nearly round ; caudal with a broad dusky bar 



on base and tip. spexgleri, 2147. 



dd. Sides of head and body always prickly, as is the back from upper lip to 



base of dorsal ; belly prickly, the prickles all similar, small, 3-rooted, 



stifl' and close set, never obsolete ; no cirri : back with dark spots ; 



black blotches on sides forming short oblique cross bars, those behind 



pectoral most conspicuous ; caudal nearly plain, darker at tip. 



e. Color dark brown, with black blotches; a series of about a dozen 



irregular black spots along under side. maculatus, 2148. 



ee. Color dark, olivaceous above; black blotches on lower part of sides 



in the form of short, oblique cross bars. Mahmoeatus, 2149. 



CHEILICHTHTS (xflXoi, lip ; Ix^v^, Ash) : 



aa. Skull very broad above, the interorbital space broad, flattish, or very little concave, 

 its width more than J snout and 2f to 4 in head; sides with no series of dark 

 blotches bounding the line of belly. 

 e. Caudal fin rounded or subtruncate; back and sides with many small irregular 

 black spots ; no series of larger blotches bounding the edge of the beUy. 

 /. Dark shades on back, broad, appearing as the ground color and crossed- by 

 pale curved cross bars and streaks forming arcs of concentric circles; 

 these sometimes broken by reticulations, everywhere profusely spotted 

 with black in adult : body rather sparsely prickly above and below or 

 sometimes entirely smooth. 

 g. Interorbital space moderate, slightly concave ; snout somewhat pro- 

 duced, the eye a little behind middle of head ; pale markings 

 usually irregular, not forming continuous arcs. 



TESTUDINEUS, 2150. 



gg. Interorbital area very broad, nearly flat ; snout short and bluntish, 



the eye nearly midway in head ; pale markings comparatively 



regular, forming distinct arcs. annulatus, 2151. 



ff. Dark shades on back appearing as bars and spots on a pale ground color, 



the pale areas forming more or less distinct concentric streaks; the 



dark areas above large black confluent blotches which form above 



curved streaks and cross bars, irregular and variable but sharijly 



marked ; interorbital space very broad and slightly convex : back and 



belly prickly. FOEMOSUS, 2152. 



ee. Caudal fin lunate or truncate, with the angles acute or produced. 



h. Dorsal rays 8; body more or less prickly, above and below. 



i. Color brownish above with irregular grayish spots, and sometimes 

 dark cross bands; eye equal to interorbital width, furthi, 2153. 

 ii. Color brownish above, vermiculated with paler; eye broader than 

 interorbital space (in young of 4 inches) . teichocephalus, 2154. 

 Tift. Dorsal rays 10. Body (in adult) everywhere perfectly smooth ; inter- 

 orbital space broad, ecjual to snout and twice diameter of eje; 

 brown, with darker spots above. pachygastee, 2155. 



